Gilded Capability: Overinvestment and the Survivability Paradox

Using historical examples, the text argues against overinvesting in exquisite, capital-intensive military platforms and personnel. This "gilded capability" approach, seen in Imperial Japan's elite pilot program and Germany's battleships, creates a brittle force vulnerable to attrition in protracted conflicts. The focus on individual unit survivability and specialization sacrifices system-level resilience and the ability to regenerate forces. The authors warn that the United States may be repeating this error by concentrating capabilities into fewer, expensive platforms, creating a force ill-suited for a long war.